Top 10: Crazy Chinese Cities

In the 17th century, Beijing was a city of villages and suburban farmlands, supremely advanced in the sciences and technologies. Under General Mao, China was driven by village industries and collective farms. When Mao died in 1976, though, a new open-door policy opened Chinese markets, and the world stepped right in. In 30 years, China has industrialized and urbanized, shifting from a largely agricultural society to a prosperous industrial one.

In exploring Chinese city life, there will be stories of municipal makeovers and furious industries. As former leader Mao Zedong’s slogan read: “There is no construction without destruction.” And so China goes, jackhammering its way into the ultra-modern future.

As cities cram themselves full of busy bodies in suits, these 10 crazy Chinese cities are building their way to a brand-new urban lifestyle. Since 1978, urban China has grown from 13 cities to a mind-boggling 661. We've all heard of Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, but what are the other 558? Allow us to introduce you to 10 of them.

Population figures exclude each city’s suburbs. The figures are limited to the urban center, or what is also called the urban agglomeration.